PITTSBURGH – The challenge of the second half is clear. Alex Rodriguez sees it.

The Yankees must beat Boston or go home.

“The wild card will not come out of the East. Period,” Rodriguez told The Post yesterday at the American League All-Stars’ press conference.

How sure was he of that? “Onehundred percent,” he said.

The Red Sox own a 53-33 record, three games better than the Yankees at 50-36. The Yankees are playing at a .581 clip. The Tigers are at .670, the White Sox at .648.

A-Rod is right. The Yankees have to make up ground against their archrivals or the postseason will be played without the Yankees for the first time since 1993.

He said he feels good about the Yankees’ chances of overtaking the Red Sox. “We’ve been pretty banged up and to be three games out, yeah, it could be better, but it could be a lot worse too,” A-Rod noted. “We have good character, we have hungry players. For the first half, I give our team a B-plus.

“We need to get healthy. The bottom line is that there is not much room for error in the American League this year. Three or four really good teams are going to be kept out of the playoffs.” With Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui down, it’s up to A-Rod and Derek Jeter to make sure the Yankees are not one of those teams. When someone suggested that tonight’s AL starting pitcher, Detroit’s Kenny Rogers is on the best team in baseball, A-Rod interrupted and said, “The best record in baseball.” He believes the Yankees could still be the best team, they just have to get moving in the right direction. There is a sense of urgency they have not felt in years because of the superior play in the Central Division.

The Yankees are five games in the loss column behind the White Sox in the wild-card chase.

Rodriguez said he knows why the American League is on an AllStar roll. “The American League,” he explained, “is a superior league right now. I think there is an amazing amount of talent in this league.

We inherited a lot of the tremendous players from the National League, but right now this is the hardest All-Star team I’ve had to make in my 12 years.” The fact that Ozzie Guillen elected to bat A-Rod fourth in this galaxy of superstars tells you something about Rodriguez’ talent.

That spot opened up when Manny Ramirez opted out of the game. “To hit fourth in an All-Star Game, it’s all a dream,” A-Rod said.

Joe Torre said Rodriguez should have more fun. He had fun yesterday.

He joked with Jeter that he had fun Sunday night, too. This was A-Rod unplugged. “I disagree with that,” Rodriguez said of Torre’s assessment. “I think I’m having fun.” Rodriguez added that it is special to play in the city where Roberto Clemente starred and how he would love to see baseball retire Clemente’s No. 21, just like Jackie Robinson’s 42.

“I wish the whole Hispanic community builds a campaign around it,” Rodriguez explained.

“Especially with the way he passed away, in many ways he is like the Latinos’ Jackie Robinson.

Where the game is going today with Latin Americans, it’s an alltime high and it might be more than 50 percent in a few years.” Rodriguez told a reporter from England how much he hated soccer and boxing.

“I like baseball,” he said.

He also said he does not like the way baseball decides homefield advantage for the World Series, using the All-Star Game as the proving ground.

He said it’s time to change the format and award homefield advantage to the team with the best record.

Everything A-Rod said made sense. On this day, Alex Rodriguez was comfortable in his Yankee skin, saying what he believed just as Reggie Jackson used to say what he believed in these All-Star settings.